A Return Forgotten
by WolfenGirl
Summary: I'm sorry everyone! I have just read Peter S. Beagle' sequal YES! THERE'S FINALLY A SEQUAL, JUST PUBLISHED THIS MONTH IN FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE! and I feel bad writing a story that doesn't stick with canon. I may very well still write it, bu
1. Coming Home

_**Coming Home**_

**__**

Birds chattered noisily, fluttering back and forth at the edge of the forest. An eagle, soaring gracefully over the nearby mountain range, let out a wail of despair as a rock slide roared down the mountainside, crumbling a path down into the valley below. In the forest, a lioness placed her paws on the edge of a long forgotten fountain. Her paw darted out, thudding against the old spout. The only response she received was a fresh puff of dust rising from beneath the great paw. She glanced back at her mate, her dark eyes full of sorrow. The lion cried out, roaring angrily at the fountain that held no life-giving liquid, then collapsed wearily on the grass. The shadows of the forest began to lengthen, but a bright white light entered the forest. Every animal of the forest, drawn by the light, began to gather near the dusty old fountain. They gazed at the light as it grew nearer, hoping with all their hearts that the light was brought forth by one thing... And suddenly, she was there. Her horn, dirty and chipped, still gave off the bright light of her joy. Her amethyst eyes were weary and drooping, but they showed joy as she gazed upon her old friends. Fatigue overtook her as she stepped forward, and she crumpled to the ground. The animals could do anything but stare, unable to believe that this unicorn, _their_ unicorn, was home. She lay in the shadows, sleeping peacefully for the first night in a long while. Her heavenly coat was caked with mud, and her elegant mane hung in dirty chunks around her face, but still they knew. She was _their_ unicorn, and at last she had returned home...


	2. Cloud Message

_**Cloud Message**_

The bitter cold had returned. Lir knew, but only because the servants complained. He felt nothing. As a matter of fact, it had been over a year since he had felt anything. Since she had left, the only thing that he _had_ felt was the pain of his shattered heart. During the day, he thought og her, wrote poems to her that she could never read, thought of things he could say to hear that she would never hear. At night, he dreamt of her, dreamt that they were together once more, dreamt that she had never left. Most nights, he cried himself to sleep, and awoke to find his pillow soaked with fresh tears.

The night the unicorn returned to her forest, Lir stood at his window, his expressionless deep blue eyes gazing at the sea. The sea crashed recklessly against the rocks strewn across the shore, roaring its anger at all who would listen. Lir watched, remembering the Bull. Thinking about the Bull made him remember the unicorn, and he sighed. What was there really to keep him from flinging his unfeeling body into the roaring tempest?

The unicorn. No matter how long she had been gone, there was always the hope that she would return. That hope was what kept Lir alive. He had loved her, and he loved her still. And she had loved him while she was human. What was there to keep her from loving him now, when she was a unicorn once more? But Schmendrick had warned him not to get his hopes up. And so Prince Lir... No, he was King Lir now... Lir had tried to keep himself happy, to keep himself from missing her. But on a night like this, it was almost impossible not to think about her and miss her. No... It _was_ impossible.

Lir's dark eyes were drawn to the large, pale moon as it crept into the dark night sky. It passed behind a cloud, casting no more light upon the dead grounds around the castle. The cloud nearest him took on a shape. A small smile crept to his face, brightening his eyes. Even if he was imagining it, he took it as a good sign. He heard her soft laughter once more, but it seemed to be fading far into the distance as he gazed at the cloud that resembled a unicorn.

Lir was, for however short a moment, once more glad to be alive...


	3. Author's Note

((Author's Note:

I just wanted to thank you all for being so kind as to review. For those of you who have added me to their lists of alerts, here's one for you! I'm working on chapter three as you read this. It should be up by the end of the weekend, replacing this as a chapter! Feel free to e-mail me at you have any questions or comments!))


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